Bonnette v. Karst

TATE, Justice.

The writer respectfully dissents.

The majority construes a civil service-enactment as providing lifetime tenure for firemen and policemen in municipalities of from 13,000 to 250,000, and it therefore invalidates legislation (La.R.S. 42:691) which provides for mandatory retirement at age-*86865 of all governmental employees.1 In so doing, the majority has failed to consider the legislative purpose of the entire civil service enactment; it has interpreted an isolated phrase in it unreasonably and contrary to any possible intention, taking into consideration the statutory history and…